Good flies come and go but the better ones eventually earn a permanent spot in your box. For me, a relative late comer to the popular Duracell Nymph, this pattern earned top honors as my summer 2022 MVP. It's buggy and pretty natural looking compared to a number of contemporary nymph patterns, but it also has a weird purplish UV glow that helps it stand out, even in off color water. Where it really shines is when the caddis are out in force, which is the better part of summer here in the Northwest. It has the general profile and appearance of a caddis pupa and is deadly during the hatch, especially when drifted deep and allowed to come under tension at the end of the drift and rise up in the water column like an emerging caddis.
I mostly tie the Duracell in sizes 12-16 and use a variety of slotted tungsten bead sizes from 2.5mm to 4mm to achieve the desired sink rate for the water I'm fishing. It's a versatile pattern than can be tight line nymphed, fished under an indicator or even as a dropper below a dry fly when tied with a smaller lighter bead. Whip up a selection or pick up a few at the shop when you get a chance. I'd say the Duracell just keeps going and going but then I'd be getting my battery slogans confused.
Duracell Nymph Recipe:
Hook: #14 Hanak 400BL
Bead: 3.5mm Silver Hanak Slotted Tungsten
Thread: Dark Brown 70 Denier Ultra Thread
Tail: Medium Pardo CDL
Rib: Small Red Ultra Wire
Body: UV Brown Ice Dub
Collar: Natural Dun CDC
Confluence Beer Pairing: This month's beer is Modelo Especiale, the unofficial sponsor of carp fly fishing in Eastern Washington. It's light, tastes great and is infinitely more hydrating than a robust 9% IPA. It also seems to help prevent the skin from melting off your bones when it's 105 degrees out and you're squinting into the sun to make out the next cruising carp. Not to mention you can drink it all day long and still remain sober enough to avoid stepping on a rattlesnake or a menacing scorpion skittering across your sandal clad foot.